Ore separating and amalgamating machine



(No Model.)

A. DUSTER.

ORE SEPARATING AND, AMALGAMATING MACHINE.

No. 414,685. Patented Nov. 12, 1889.

UNTTED STATES PATENT rricnt AARON CUSTER, OF MONROE, lOlVA.

ORE SEPARATING AND AMALGAMATlNG MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 414,685, dated November 12, 1889.

Application filed April 5, 1889. Serial No. 306,126. (No model.)

To {ZZZ whom it may concern:

30 it known that l, AARON CUSTER, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Monroe, in the county of Jasper and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful ()re Separating and Amalgamating Machine, of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists in the construction and combination of a hopper, inclined planes, amalgamated cylinders, pans, scrapers, and mechanism for vibrating the inclined planes and rotating the cylinders, with a frame, hereinafter set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawin gs, in which- Figure 1 isa top view, and Fig. 2 a Vertical sectional View, of the machine.

A represents a frame adapted to support the different operative elements.

B is a hopper at the end and top of the frame.

B represents a feed-slide in the bottom of the hopper.

C is an inclined plane hinged to the frame and under the hopper to convey ore away from the hopper and distribute it over the surface of a rotating amalgamated cylinder D, located under the lower end of the plane.

F is a rotating shaft parallel to the cylin-. der I).

G are toothed wheels on the shaft F.

H are bars fixed to the under side of the inclined plane in such a manner that their free ends will rest upon the wheels G, to be actuated by the rotary motions of the wheels as required to vibrate the hinged inclined plane. The shaft F is connected with the axle of the cylinder D by meansof a belt and pulleys, or in any suitable way, so that motion will be transmitted from the cylinder to the said shaft.

J is a drive-wheel on the end of the axle of the cylinder, that can be connected with a suitable motor in any suitable way.

71; is a vat or amalgamating-pan adapted to be placed upon a suitable support under the cylinder in such a manner that when it contains mercury the periphery of the cylinder willbe immersed in the mercury as the cylinder rotates.

H is a rotating shaft provided with radial. fins adapted to brush waste matter on the surface of the mercury out through an opening in the pan. This rotating brush is connected with the axle of the cylinder by means of a belt and pulleys, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2.

A duplicate set of the foregoing operative devicesan inclined plane C and a cylinder D--are located in a lower plane, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, and connected with theupper set by means of belts and pulleys, or in any suitable way, to be simultaneously operated with the upper set. i In the practical use of my machinel place crushed ore or placer-ore in the hopper and allow it to discharge gradually to fall upon the upper inclined plane when the machine is in motion, so that it will by the vibrations of the plane be distributed and gradually shaken downward to drop upon the amalgamated surface of the upper rotating cylinder which revolves through the mercury in the pan under the cylinder. The valuable particles that adhere to the cylinder will be thereby carried into the pan, and the matter that does not adhere will fall upon the second or lower inclined plane and be subjected to the operation of the second cylinder. Any number of planes and cylinders and pans may be thus combined and operated to separate and amalgamate the valuable comminnted parts of the ore and gather it into pans, from whence it can be removed at pleasure. The pans are so shaped and located that any mercury or valuable ore that may drop from the cylinders will fall into the pans.

I claim as my invention 1. In an ore separator andamalgamator, a frame supportinga hopper, an inclined plane extending under the hopper, mechanism for vibrating the inclined plane, an amalgamated cylinder extending horizontally across the lower end of the inclined plane, mechanism for rotating the cylinder, and'an amalgamating-pan extended under the cylinder and 3. The rotating-brush devices M, in oombi parallel therewith, to operate in the manner nation with a pan K and a rotating cylinder, set forth. to operate in the manner set forth, for the 2. The hopper B, the vibrating inclined purposes stated. planes 0 and C the rotating cylinders D and D the pans K, and the shaft F, having AARON CUS'IER. toothed Wheels G fixed thereon, arranged and combined with a frame substantially as shown \Vitnesses:

and described, to operate in the manner set .T. M. \VHITE,

Io forth, for the purposes stated. G. V. DAVIS. 

